Established by Dr. Malena Nygaard, the SPARK Lab seeks to close the youth mental health research-to-practice gap and advance youth, family, school, and system resilience.

Under the umbrella of cultural responsivity and trauma-informed care, our lab:

1. Supports school district adoption of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) for school behavioral health,

2. Facilitates the implementation of evidence-based mental and behavioral health practices in school and community settings, and

3. Refines, tests, and disseminates the Mental Health Action Plan (MHAP) Program for school mental health care coordination.